Farmers call for review of ESB relationship

AS the rocketing cost of power begins to hurt at farm level, where there are high demands on supply, farmers have called for a review of their relationships with the ESB and the benefit of the facilities which they provide at no cost.

Limerick County IFA have raised the issue of compensation from the ESB for the use of their land over which the ESB lines run for poles and the inconvenience which they cause to the use of the land to be taken into account by the ESB. John O’Riordan, former Limerick County Secretary and a member of the IFA National Industrial Committee, said that farmers were now being hit very hard by the ESB for power supply following two steep increases applied at the end of 2004 and the beginning of 2005.

“Farmers are now paying very high bills to the ESB for power, and I believe that it is time that we as farmers looked for compensation on low voltage poles on the farm. We are providing a service to the ESB and giving them access to the land and there should be some allowance for that“, he said. He added that “nowadays there is nothing going for nothing,” and if the ESB think fit to impose heavy charges on farmers for power they should be asked to compensate for the service which farmers provide for them. An arrangement already exists whereby farmers receive an allowance against their ESB charges for ultra-high voltage pylons on their land. But the agreement which was negotiated by the IFA does not extend to the poles carrying the lower voltage lines.